How did the book come from?

A long time ago, probably in the Neolithic Age, there were no words at that time, and many things, large and small, were passed down from mouth to mouth. Things will always be forgotten over time, and people are used to tying knots with ropes. This is what we call a cash settlement. At that time, there were still nicks carved with a knife on the wooden strips.

During the Shang Dynasty, we found the earliest writing, Oracle Bone Inscriptions. This skillful line writing is definitely not the first one. Oracle Bone Inscriptions was carved on tortoise shells and animal bones with a knife, which was mainly used for sacrifice and divination. After carving, he punched holes in the middle and burned them, judging good or bad according to the grain.

China learned to use bronzes in the Shang Dynasty. If there are important things that need to be recorded permanently, they will be recorded on bronzes and have the function of books. Later, people split bamboo chips and wood chips into long and narrow shapes, wrote words on them with ink, dried them on the fire, evaporated the water, and finally cut off the green peel on the surface of bamboo chips, so that they could punch holes and string them into books. This is the earliest form of books.

Cloth and bamboo slips are both writing tools, which are light and soft, easy to fold, easy to carry, store and read. Therefore, it was valued by nobles and rich people during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Silk and silk were used as writing materials, which were expensive and were quickly replaced by paper.